Is there life beyond the top 10 MiM?

I am a student from Russia, I live in a middle class family (i.e. poor by European standards) so I was very reluctant to apply to top programs because the risk of not getting a job in Europe and being stuck in Russia with euro denominated loan sounds horrifying.

I applied to Vienna as it is quite cheap and ranked top 20. But after reading WSO and googling linkedins of alumni of various universities I noticed that there is a big gap in terms of companies and positions that students are placed in. Surely, a big reason for that is self-selection of the most prospective students into top programs, but assuming that I had a shot at getting into a program like HEC or LBS, how damaging is the lack of opportunities and brand name to me because I've chosen a lower ranked school?

1 Comments
 
Most Helpful

Animi quis eius voluptatem dolores nulla alias quibusdam. Maiores doloremque assumenda autem sequi et doloribus. Vel labore cupiditate animi tenetur qui. Sint veniam cupiditate repellendus quo iste consequatur. Maxime mollitia quas ab.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”